Q: I have an 11-year-old spayed female cat that is licking the fur off of her stomach. I think the extra fur she is ingesting is giving her more hairballs than she normally has also. Any ideas why she might be doing this or how it could be stopped?

A: Excess licking and grooming to the point of removing hair can be caused by a number of different things; these include allergies, endocrine or hormonal abnormalities and behavioral problems.

Ask your veterinarian to evaluate your cat for the common medical conditions that could cause this behavior. While you are getting it figured out, children’s onesies fit cats really well and can prevent this excess licking and hair pulling! Good luck!

Dr. Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

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Halo Pets was proud to take part in the huge Columbus Day Parade that took place in New York City! An estimated one million people turned out for the annual event, which featured the “Celebrity Dogs Unleashed” float, sponsored by Halo Pets.

The float displayed fiberglass dogs painted by celebrities including Richard Gere, Rachael Ray, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and Vanessa Williams. It was constructed for the 60th anniversary of Green Chimneys, a non-profit organization that operates a special education school, residential treatment center for children and a farm and wildlife rehabilitation.

If you would like to take home one of the dogs yourself, an online auction is being held at www.charityfolks.com/unleashed. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the children and animals of Green Chimneys.

Check out video footage of the float:

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Images and video courtesy of Green Chimneys.

Q: I am very worried about my cat, Felix. He is a three-year-old indoor cat. We recently moved from the east coast to California. Felix was a little upset with the car ride, but did fine and adjusted to the new place quickly.

About three weeks ago, he was scratching his neck a lot and had several hairballs. After a visit to a vet, he was diagnosed with seasonal allergies and given a cortisone shot, after which he did great.

Two days ago, I came home from work to find several vomit piles, none of which were hairballs, and a very unhappy cat. Yesterday, he did not eat or drink anything and I took him to the vet who ran blood work (nothing abnormal), x-rays (nothing found), and he was given subcutaneous fluid and anti-vomiting meds.

He did fine last night; then today has vomited several more times. Could this be a simple “stomach bug?” What other tests would you recommend?

A: Sorry to hear Felix is under the weather. It is uncommon for cats to get a “stomach bug.” Vomiting and lack of interest in food can be several things…from minor to more serious.

Allergies can cause cats to vomit, and although their scratching may be under control, vomiting can persist. Other frequent causes of vomiting in cats of Felix’s age include the ingestion of foreign objects. Frequently these objects are string or rope material or parts of their favorite toys. It is not always possible to see these foreign objects on plain x-rays, and special dye studies may be required.

A more serious condition that could cause these symptoms is pancreatitis. Again, it is not uncommon that x-rays and routine bloodwork will be completely normal. Ultrasound and specialized bloodwork are often required to make the diagnosis of pancreatitis.

If Felix’s symptoms are persistent, I would recommend a re-check with your veterinarian for additional testing, likely to include a barium (dye) study or an abdominal ultrasound examination.

Good luck with Felix and keep us updated!

Dr. Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

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This week’s Halo Pet of the Week is a very special California boy named Popeye. This bulldog was adopted from a Los Angeles rescue five years ago, and has been filling his mom’s life with love ever since.

Popeye is deaf, but he is one smart pup who has overcome his disability. He can understand American Sign Language, and his mom uses it to communicate with him. Because signing is Popeye’s method of communication, he focuses on people’s hands, and his mom says that if he is near someone who speaks using a lot of hand gestures, he will always think they must be talking to him!

One of Popeye’s favorite activities is sleeping – he doesn’t exactly dispute the idea of the lazy bulldog. But that’s just fine with his mom, who loves to cuddle with him.

He isn’t sleeping all the time though; Popeye is a mischievous boy who has learned to open cupboards and closets. This sometimes causes a mess for his mom, but one look at that big bulldog smile and she just can’t stay mad for long!

Think your pet should be next week’s winner? Just head over to the Halo Pets MySpace Page and send us a picture of your favorite furry friend!

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1. How Old Is My Dog?

It used to be thought that 1 human year equaled 7 dog years. That’s not necessarily true. Depending on the size of your dog, they may age slower or faster than that!

Based on a chart developed by Fred L. Metzger, DVM, Dipl. ABVP; State College, PA (metzgeranimal.com)

2. Dogs CAN See Color:

Dogs have dichromatic (humans have trichromatic) vision meaning they can only see part of the range of colors that we can see. Based on how their eyes are made, they should be able to see yellow and blue primarily. Besides blue and yellow, dogs can also see violet, indigo and red. Likely, the colors green, yellow and orange will look alike to dogs. Sadly, we will never know the answer for sure since our dogs can’t tell us!

3. Tug Of War Is NOT A Bad Game:

Many people believe, “If you let the dog win tug of war then it will become dominant.” False.

What happens when you play tug of war? You and your dog start to tug on the toy. If you let him “win” what does he do? He stands there and “asks” you to take it again. If it were a dominant game that caused aggression, then your dog will run off with the toy, guard it and not let you near it. Instead your dog stands there hoping that you will pick it up and play the game again! Your dog loves to play with you. As long as you have rules and boundaries, tug of war provides your dog a proper outlet for his energy.

4. You CANNOT Tell If A Dog Has A Fever From His Nose:

A persistent old myth is still out there: A warm dry dog nose does not mean your dog has a fever. In fact, you cannot tell if your dog is sick based on his nose. A dog’s nose may be very wet and cool one minute and dry and warm the next. All are perfectly normal. The only way to tell if you dog has a fever is to take a rectal temperature using a digital thermometer. Normal dog temperature is between 100-102.5° F.

5. A Dog That CANNOT Bark:

The Basenji is known as the barkless breed. Despite not being able to let out a complete “woof,” they are able to make plenty of other noises including squeals, whines and screeches.

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